Salt Bae breaks World Cup rule to hold trophy after Argentina triumph

Argentina fans celebrate World Cup final win

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Salt Bae could find himself in hot water after images emerged of the celebrity chef posing for photographs whilst handling the World Cup trophy, breaking a long-standing World Cup tradition. FIFA rules state that only a strict list of personnel are allowed to touch the famous accolade and it appears the steak expert broke tradition during Argentina’s celebrations on Sunday.

The Albiceleste ended their 36-year wait to add their third World Cup to their collection after a thrilling final with France, winning 4-2 on penalties following a 3-3 draw between the two sides after extra-time. Lionel Messi struck a brace while Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick, but it was Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty that clinched victory for Lionel Scaloni’s side.

Messi was mobbed in the celebrations as famous figures and VIPs flocked the pitch in a desperate attempt to get their picture taken with Argentina’s World Cup winners. And Salt Bae – whose real name is Nusret Gokce – found himself within the exclusive group of people invited to share the celebrations as he held the trophy in his arms.

Gokce is the owner of the Nusr-Et steakhouse chain and has welcomed footballers and celebrities from all over the globe. But even the 39-year-old may not escape punishment after contravening FIFA’s strict rules.

The sacred tradition of the World Cup means that only a select handful of privileged people are allowed to handle the golden trophy that is collected every four years by the winners – and Turkish chef Nusret Gokce is certainly not one of them.

According to FIFA rules, it states: “The original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”

In a series of images taken during the celebrations, Salt Bae can clearly be seen holding the trophy as he posed in front of photographers – meaning he broke the rule that has been in place for several decades. It was introduced after Jules Rimet trophy was stolen shortly Brazil won the tournament for a third time in 1970.

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Back then, national teams were allowed to keep the real thing, but the fact it was never recovered forced FIFA into devising a new rule. The new trophy was created for the 1974 World Cup but can no longer be won outright.

Instead, the World Cup trophy – estimated to be worth around $20million (£17.7m) – is kept at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, with winning countries being able to permanently retain a gold-plated bronze replica. When the trophy is transported, the handler must wear gloves and is under intense scrutiny to ensure the trophy does not leave their sight.

And while Salt Bae is famous for wearing a pair of expensive white gloves when he performs his trademark ‘salt sprinkle’, he could find himself with questions to answer after breaking the long-standing tradition, although he is not the first to do so.

Global popstar Rihanna came under fire in 2014 when she attended Germany’s World Cup triumph over Argentina, posing with the trophy and even reportedly kissing it before tweeting: “I touched the cup, held the cup, kissed the cup, took a selfie wit the cup!!! I meeeaan…… what is YO bucket list looking like bruh?”

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